


What Lies Within

by the_sarahdoll



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Mystery, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Semi AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_sarahdoll/pseuds/the_sarahdoll
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue - June 2021

He was running late. Literally. Dashing through the corridors with his dress robes hiked up to allow for faster movement Bradley Smith could only think about how embarrassing it would be to show up late to his own graduation ceremony, especially since he was Head Boy. Professor Blith would be disappointed in him since he knew she'd recommended him first for prefect and then as Head Boy, though worse would be the stare of Headmistress McGonagall who held punctuality as a great virtue. He didn't want his last memory of the school to be her piercing stare - even if it was the fault of his siblings who had insisted on doing one last sweep of the dorm for belongings that friends had left behind. However, in picking up his pace, his foot caught on one of the stones of the floor and he went crashing to the floor, feeling a striking pain in his knee. Looking down revealed a gash across the kneecap and a rip in his robes. Sighing, he reached into his pocket for his wand and healed the injury and repaired the tear in his robes. But when he went to clean the floor there was no blood. _Strange_ , he thought. _I could have sworn I'd gotten blood on the floor._ But the floor was clean and he was nearly late so there was no time to think about it. And it wouldn't be the first time he was seeing things - the NEWTS had been as nastily exhausting as advertised and been so tired he couldn't even call his siblings by their right names. With a final check of his robes and graduation cloak, he pushed open the door to the Great Hall's antechamber and slipped in with the rest of the soon to be graduating seventh years who were all chattering excitedly about being on the brink of adulthood not knowing that theirs would be the last peaceful year Hogwarts would see for quite some time...


	2. Chapter 1 - September 1st 2021

"TIMOTHY! MARGINE! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"  
  
"Just a minute mom!" Timothy called back, desperately trying to force his school trunk closed. It was the annual ritual - trying to pack his clothes, school supplies and mystery novels. It was the combination of the cauldron being awkward to place and his mother refusing to put an extendable charm on it in an effort to teach him to be "organized, like your older brother." Turning to his twin sister - also having a problem fitting her quidditch gear into her trunk -he pleaded "Are you sure you can't take a couple of novels for me?"  
  
"Tim, I have my gear in here and yours. And there's barely room for that. You're going to have to leave a couple behind, swallow your pride and ask mom and dad to owl them to you." Her blue eyes were sparkling with mischief as Timothy groaned, not looking forward to the pleading he would have to do. Sighing, the lanky girl took pity on her equally tall and lanky twin. "Fold the edges in little brother and we'll sit on the lid, force it shut."  
  
"You're only older by five minutes."  
  
"Still makes you the little brother"  
  
It was an exchange the twins had shared for years and so often that their friends and family often quoted it to them when they overheard arguments. However, when their mother appeared in the doorway, her expression clearly revealed she was not amused with the banter or the sight of both twins sitting on top of Timothy's trunk to force it closed. The boy cringed waiting for the lecture she clearly wanted to give by his father coming into the room to proclaim "What's taking so long? We need to be at The Leakey Cauldron in ten minutes!" (Even when talking about the mundane, Timothy's father's voice always sounded booming - a legacy of being a quidditch commentator. A trait that never failed to make Timothy jump when he wasn't expecting it.) Tamsin Smith clearly wanted to start a lecture about the twins' packing practices, but the need to be at the designated floo grate to London as the first step in getting to King's Cross by 11am won out. With a sigh, she simply levitated the twins' trunks and directed them down the stairs with a look that suggested the twins had best be at the front door at the same time the trunks landed.  
  
"You're lucky. She clearly wants to lecture you." Margine whispered.  
  
"I dunno, she seemed ready to include you as well." His words were greeted with a scoff.  
  
"I'm not the one who needed to pack his quidditch gear in his sister's trunk. You should have thought this through little brother, especially since Bradley's buried in some assistant's office in the Ministry and not here to take pity on you by packing your muggle novels in his trunk."  
  
It should have been a quip designed to shame her brother but saying the fact out loud that they were going to Hogwarts without their older brother brought back feelings of nervousness. Why she was nervous considering she was a fifth year and didn't need to hold her older brother's hand on the station like some ickle firsty? _Probably because it's always been you three._ the girl reflected. She'd always been lumped in with Timothy - hard not to considering they were twins - but with Bradley only two years older and a helpful, protective sort, it had been easy to be known as the "Smith Sibs" than just as Margine. Timothy must have sensed something because he cracked a grin."We'll be fine. great even. Just think of the fun we can have now that we don't have our brother as Head Boy."  
  
"You're not suggesting we go full Weasley are you?" she replied with a laugh.  
  
"Going Weasley implies we want to compete with Fred and Lily for most detentions sat by a student. I for one would like to avoid that. I like being on the teacher's good sides."  
  
"Speaking of teachers, it looks like we have a new one for Care of Magical Creatures. I wonder what's wrong with Professor Hagrid."  
  
"You'll find out at the Welcome Feast if we leave on time." boomed their mother. With guilty looks, Timothy and Margine grabbed their matching Hufflepuff crested over robes and hurried to the floo grate in the main hall of the magical bed and breakfast their mother had been running for two decades. Several patrons noticed the trunks and school cloaks and wished them luck in the term ahead. Both twins waved to a few who had become their favourites, hugged their mother who whispered a few last-minute admonishments and stepped into the fireplace  
  
"THE LEAKY CAULDRON!"  
  
With a whoosh of green fire, Timothy, Margine and their father Zacharius whirled through grates as snippets of people flashed before their eyes. In a tangle, they tumbled out of the grate where the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron offered her hand with a smile. Mrs. Longbottom - as the wife of their Herbology professor she could never be simply 'Hannah' - beamed down at them. "Another set for Hogwarts., is it? You're just in time. The portkey to King's Cross leaves in five minutes and there's still places left. Make sure you keep one hand on your trunks dears."  
  
"Have Alice and Justinian left yet?" Timothy asked, enquiring about the twins' friend and fellow Hufflepuff and her Gryffindor older brother.  
  
"About twenty minutes ago with their father dear. Neville always has to inspect the train before flooing to Hogwarts. I suspect Alice will be saving you a compartment, never fear." The twins grinned. With Alice having gotten there early, she would have staked out a good one for them and Margine's friend from Gryffindor Kathleen.  
  
"Thanks Mrs. Longbottom. See you at Christmas!"  
  
"Oh you never know, you'll probably see me before them at one of your Hogsmeade Weekends. But off you go before that portkey leaves you behind."  
  
Gingerly, the twins and their father moved to a group of people all holding a large pennant with the Hogwarts Crest on it in one hand and various trunks, animal cages and broomsticks in the other. Timothy, usually good with names and faces, didn't recognize any of the others crowded around the pennant. Which meant they were neither Hufflepuffs, quidditch players or among his academic rivals. Tim grabbed a fistful of fabric, pretending not to notice that his father had positioned himself between the twins to maximize the distance between himself and the other adults. All too soon the fabric glowed blue and there was a tug at his navel and the next moment he was staring at the Hogwarts Express on the busy platform.  
  
"Alright you two, give us a hug." Zacharius said, "Have a good term. Tim, keep up those stellar grades. Margie, take a leaf out of your brother's book and stop trying to murder your quidditch rivals with bludgers. It's OWL year so it will be a lot of work. However if it feels like too much and you need a break, write us and we'll arrange a visit in Hogsmeade or get permission for a weekend home, alright?" The twins hugged their father, grabbed their trunks and the cage of their shared barn owl and took off for the train.  
  
"Timmy! Margie!" an excited voice cried out. "There you are, I thought you'd never arrive." Petite and dark-haired where the twins were blonde, Alice Longbottom beamed up at them. "Come with me, I got us a cabin in car four. Kathleen is guarding it for us so you know we can't leave her alone too long. Otherwise, she'll break out her beater bat and we'll be in trouble before the school year starts."  
  
"Yeah, we'd better go," Margine responded, trying not to giggle at the mental image of Kathleen Finnigan in all of her five-foot one-inch glory fighting off students who wanted their compartment. She gave her father one last hug, called "See ya," and dragged Timothy along who barely had time to wave awkwardly around the owl cage before being dragged off.


	3. Chapter 2 - September 1, 2021

The train ride to Hogwarts passed as it usually did - with easy chatter, a veritable (though unhealthy) feast from the trolly as well as greeting classmates and other friends that had not been seen since the previous June. There was a moment of course when seventh year Samantha Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, stopped by to remind Kathleen that there would be a team meeting on Saturday - which was ludicrously early - the Hufflepuffs wouldn't be meeting for weeks, especially since they would be getting a new captain with the graduation of Amrita Singh. (All the Smith twins knew was that neither of them was her replacement.) But other than Samatha's interruption, the hours passed smoothly with no escaped chocolate frogs and only minor singing from games of exploding snap. Disembarking from the train brought a surprise - Professor Hagrid was still there greeting the first years as he'd always done and Timothy, Margine, Alice and Kathleen were far from the only ones to exchange puzzled glances.

"Has he just retired from teaching?" Kathleen asked. "Did your dad say anything?"

"Apparently he's been feeling his age and wants to step back, but since dad spent the summer at home, he says he hasn't met the new professor yet." Alice tilted her head to the side in thought. "He's probably going to meet whoever it is for the first time at dinner."

"I hope it's someone pleasant and not like Professor Malloy." Kathleen shuddered. "I don't understand why someone that unpleasant would work with kids. I doubt anyone likes him."

"The Slytherins do." Timothy pointed out.

"Well of course they do - he's their head of house. I meant people outside of Slytherin." With that Kathleen jumped up into one of the carriages, pulling Margine up after her. "Now quick, hop in before my brother sees me and insists on riding with us." Shaking their heads, Alice and Timothy got in, smoothed out their uniform robes and let the carriage take them over the hills towards the castle.

Normally entering the Great Hall gave off a sense of wonder, but this year was different. The Great Hall looked the same but right before the doorway, Timothy felt a chill travel up his spine and a sense of foreboding. And yet no one else seemed to feel that way. Kathleen had squeezed their shoulders and darted off to the Gryffindor table to sit beside Lily Potter and Antonia Jordan. The teachers - minus Professor Longbottom - were all chattering animatedly at the staff table and there was that excited buzz of conversation going as people greeted friends they hadn't seen all summer. A touch on his arm brought him out of his reverie.

"Tim, are you okay?" Margine's eyes were full of concern. Did she look pale too? Or was he just losing it? Not wanting to worry her, he insisted he was fine and walked over to the section of the Hufflepuff table where the fifth years were sitting and offering congratulations to Kyung-Hu Seo and Andrew Sharpe for being made the new prefects. Good choices in Tim's mind - Kyung-Hu was a motherly sort and was always checking in on people while Andrew had a gift for seeming to know everyone he came across (part of being the son of a politician.) They'd do well with the badge. To get his mind off things, he waved to seventh year Selene Baker and asked "Do you know who the new captain is yet?" Selene - or Selly as she insisted everyone call her - was a tall vivacious muggle-born who played chaser for the team. She delivered one of her megawatt smiles that threatened to dazzle everyone in the vicinity. "It's Peter Corner. I think he's still recovering from the shock, so try not to pepper him with questions until he gets used to the fact that he's on par with Sam, Zhou and Michael, especially since they're all seventh years and he's a sixth. Still, he's always been a steady player so I think we'll have a good season with him at the helm." Timothy had the sense she would say more - Selly did like to talk - but one of the seventh year girls, tugged on her sleeve to bring something to her attention so he went back to sit with Margine and Alice. All too soon though Professor Longbottom strode into the hall at the head of the gaggle of new first years, all of whom looked nervous, leading them between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables towards the staff table where the stool with the Sorting Hat was displayed. As it did every year, the Hat sang out the virtues of each house, garnering applause before Professor Longbottom produced a scroll and began calling out names. The Sorting Ceremony was usually most intense and interesting when one was the focal point of it in Timothy's mind and after it was just something to be gotten through. With his strange feeling of forbidding, Tim was only clapping in a distracted fashion as the new HUfflepuffs joined the table.

"Are you guys okay?" Alice asked, concern etched across her features.

"We're fine. Just tired and hungry." Margine replied, also in a distracted tone of voice that caught Tim's attention immediately. Had his sister felt the same feeling of foreboding that he had as well?


	4. Chapter 3 - September 2021

The first week of classes passed in a blur. His parents had not been kidding about the sudden attitude shift in all the professors (aside from binns) had regarding coursework. Even the brand new Professor Winchester, who had taken over Care of Magical Creatures, was caught up in the OWL mania despite it being her first week at Hogwarts and first month in England. (Margine had been wondering how weird it was that Professor McGonagall had had to hire an American for the job, but Tim figured that because of Professor Hagrid's reputation for extreme creatures, applicants had thought they needed to be ready for more dangerous creatures than the curriculum called for.) Professor Blith, the Hufflepuff Head of House had devoted pretty much their first Transfiguration lesson to what would be expected of OWL students by the time the exams rolled around, which had had the effect of terrifying the class. (Timothy had noted that Andrew Sharpe had become extremely pale. Later on, a sixth year, Haebitna Baek, upon noticing the long faces at lunch, had reassured them that so long as they kept up with their homework, they'd be fine. (Of course, her statement that she hadn't had much time to paint last year hadn't helped since every Hufflepuff knew how important art was to the girl.)

"Man, the term has barely started and look at all this homework we have," Kathleen complained as she joined her Hufflepuff friends in the library to try and get on top of the work before it caused issues. When a seventh year Ravenclaw shushed her, she glared right back at the boy while Alice threw him an apologetic look. "And of course Professor McGonagall's rules about academic standing to stay on the team means I'm barely going to have time to sleep this year."

"Has Sam worked out a training schedule then?" Tim asked, looking up from his Ancient Runes translation.

"Has she ever. We're going to have a practice for the returning team members on Friday to 'test team chemistry' before having tryouts the next week. After that, we're going to have practice at the crack of stupid every Saturday. She's obsessed with becoming the first captain to achieve a three-peat in 50 years." Kathleen slumped over her Divination Journal. "On the flip side, I'll have plenty of misery to predict for Trelawney." Alice giggled at the mention of the elderly and eccentric Divination Professor, earning the ire of the glaring seventh year Ravenclaw again.

"We'd come watch and cheer you on, but we have double Charms that night," Margine replied.

"Sam wouldn't let you watch anyways. You're beaters for a rival team don't you know. Spies." Kathleen waggled her fingers dramatically. She's so paranoid."

"So doesn't that make you a potential traitor for hanging out with us?" Alice joked.

"Knowing Sam? Probably. But you guys are much better company than some of my housemates. I mean Lily's always on the lookout for her next prank victim with Fred and Rick. Val and Kat are both super serious - Val especially after getting the badge this summer., while Edmund is so stuck up. You guys are fun. Hufflepuffs make the best friends, everyone says so."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence -" Alice was about to say more when a shadow fell over their table. Looking up they saw another Ravenclaw with a prefect's badge.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that the library is for silent working, not gossiping." the prefect intoned pompously. Timothy wanted to groan. Calais Aubrey had a reputation for being a pompous ass and apparently, he was in a mood because James Potter had been named Head Boy instead of him.

"Oh my god, did that Ren prat tattle instead of coming over himself?" Kathleen - who had no use for prefects - scoffed. Tim snuck a glance to see that the Ravenclaw seventh year - who must be this Ren person Kathleen was referencing - was smirking at them rather than glaring. Which meant Kathleen had a point, despite Alice tugging on her sleeve to indicate that she should speak a little more respectfully.

"Ren, like many others in this library, is trying to focus and study in silence," Calais emphasized the final word a little too strongly. "Now consider this a warning before I go to Madame Pince to escort you out." He glared at each of them in turn and swept off, to sit with Ren, the pair of them pouring over what looked like Ancient Runes texts.

"Prats." Kathleen spat, albeit silently as the other three looked down instead of at each other. Otherwise, they'd crack up - the two seventh years were extremely tall and yet Kathleen was tiny but willing to fight.

"Come on, let's each knock out one assignment and then you'll be ready for quidditch on Friday. Quietly" Tim suggested, trying to defuse the situation. As amusing as it could be, he didn't want to have Kathleen get all worked up in the library, especially if that prefect followed through on his threat to call the librarian. The quartet worked in silence for a little bit, every once in a while looking up to see if the Ravenclaws were still there. (Kathleen was also keeping an eye out for her housemate and Library enthusiast Rose Weasley who would be just as bad as the Ravenclaws about silence in the library.) However, it seemed as though Sora Ren and Calais Aubrey were on some kind of free period - or better at playing chicken in the library - because it was the quartet who got up to leave first; Kathleen to Charms and the Hufflepuffs to Transfiguration.

"We weren't hurting anyone else you know," Kathleen complained as they exited the library. "Just those stuffed shirt prats. Why couldn't they be cool about things like James? He wouldn't begrudge us a conversation so long as we were working."

"Are you sure about that?" Margine quipped. "He's Head Boy now. The badge might change him."

"Hasn't so far. In the Tower he basically said 'don't break the major rules, don't attack the Slytherins in front of witnesses and try not to lose us house points."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to be leading the House Cup race only to trip at the finish line and lose to us badgers. Again."

"That was Lily and the Freds fault. Though even you have to admit what they did with that muggle silly string was awesome."

"Uh, no, that was messy. Some of that stuff landed in my hair and wouldn't come out." Timothy shuddered at the memory Part of the reason he'd banished his curls in favour of a shorter cut this year. Kathleen merely laughed., tousled his hair and then with a wave skipped off to meet up with her housemates for class. Tim reached up to flatten it back down while Margine and Alice laughed.

"Come on," he huffed. "We're going to be late."


	5. Chapter 4 - September 17th, 2021

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Note for traumatic injuries and property damage

Normally charms was a fun class, full of noise, bangs and laughter. Unfortunately, today was theory day which meant instead of getting to try things out, it was all note-taking and lectures about proper wrist movements and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Timothy, despite being in the top five academically among his peers, was fighting the urge to sleep, especially since the classroom was unseasonably warm. He'd been having weird dreams of late - doors slamming on him and being trapped in the dark. Being the stoic type - as well as ridiculously stubborn - he had already decided he wasn't going to burden anyone with why he wasn't sleeping well. Everyone had so much on their minds and he didn't want to add to it. He envied Kathleen her schedule which allowed the Gryffindor 5th years the chance to get out early on Fridays so she could go to her pre-tryouts quidditch practice. A flight would definitely help clear his head and after he'd be much better able to focus.

_Awake, awake._

Timothy started upright, nearly knocking over his inkwell. Next to him, there was a commotion - apparently, Margine had started too...and knocked her inkwell to the floor. Blushing, Margine excused herself to Professor Flitwick and mumbled a siphoning charm to clean up the mess. Which earned 5 points for the use of a charm that had been part of their reading, but not practiced yet, but also a concerned look from the Professor who clearly thought Margine's action strange. Tim caught her eye and noticed she looked startled and confused - just like him. However since it was theory day, they wouldn't be able to talk and would just have to sit there while he could see six figures flying around the pitch, presumably tossing around a quaffle.

_A ball? Can I play too?_

There was that voice again. Young, childish, female. But Timothy realized with a sickening suspicion that no one else - except maybe the rapidly paling Margine - had heard it. A suspicion which was confirmed when a note was dropped over his sister's arm and onto his desk written in their old twin code from childhood. You heard that too? Tim caught his sister's eye and nodded. They'd never be able to pay attention now and would have to use Alice's notes later.

_My turn, my turn._

This was getting ridiculous. Who was talking? Why could he and his sister hear it? And what was the owner of the voice talking about? He risked a glance at the clock behind Professor Flitwick's desk - ten minutes of class left. Except those ten minutes passed by agonizingly slow, especially when Jonathan Acklery asked a question the way he always did. Merlin's beard, but for once can we get out of our last class on time? Tim thought sourly. He needed to get to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face or return to the dorm to scream into a pillow. Anything except sitting at his desk ruminating on whether he was going crazy. Especially when the voice's next appearance was less cheery than before.

_You have two others. This one's mine now!_

Timothy didn't like this - the voice sounded angry now and he was having a very bad feeling about this. He needed the freedom to talk with Margine and when the bell rang, it couldn't come a moment sooner. Tim haphazardly shoved his belongings into his bag as his sister did the same. Rubbing his hand through his hair he looked at Alice...and lied through his teeth. "Can you save us a spot at the dinner table? I'm not feeling so well and need to stop at the bathroom first." Alice nodded, though she looked concerned. To Margine she demanded. "If he faints on the way there, drag him to Madame Moss, don't let him refuse." Margine nodded like that was the plan and the twins peeled off towards the second-floor boys' bathroom room...only to turn a corner when their classmates were out of sight.

"What the hell Tim?" Margine sounded as pale as she looked. "What was that voice?"

"I have no idea Margie. It came out of nowhere and no one else reacted." He sighed. "Whatever it's from, I don't want to tell Alice or Kathleen until we know more. For all we know, it's OWLs nerves affecting us in the same way because we're twins -"

"DUCK! DUCK! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!!"

The twins' jaws dropped open in shock. Lily Potter had just burst through the window on her broomstick, wearing her quidditch gear with a spare beater bat. _Is she thinking of switching from seeker?_ was all he had time to think before he heard a familiar buzzing - the sound of a bludger. It was bouncing from wall to wall, ceiling to floor. Kathleen - also in quidditch gear and holding the other beater bat - also came to the broken window. She looked in and then back out, screaming "IT'S ON THE SECOND FLOOR!" But that was somehow less ominous than the voice calling _Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!_ every time the bludger took a chunk out of the wall.

"We've got to get out of here!" Timothy called, grabbing his sister's hand. "We can grab out bats from the dorm."

"No time!" Margine retorted, drawing her wand. "STUPIFY!" Instead of stopping or exploding, the bludger picked up speed and bounced even faster., right towards the twins. Lily Potter swerved on her broom despite the tight space and whacked the bludger with the bat, back down the hall as Kathleen Finnigan her older brother Donovan swooped into the window Lily had broken.

"We tried that already Smith. It just made it made. Something's happened to make it spell resistant." Donovan said, holding onto a net in one hand. The twins exchanged dubious glances. As if a net would stop a rogue bludger.

"Donnie it's getting away - heading to the Great Hall!" Kathleen - looking more scared than the twins had ever seen her look before - cried out.

"Shit!" Donovan performed a similar hairpin turn that Lily had and sped off after the two fifth years. Without looking at each other, the twins clasped hands and took off after the bludger and three quidditch players...just in time to hear the screams. With it being close to dinner and classes now finished for the day, there was a huge crush of students in the Entrance Hall. The three Gryffindor flyers flew in formation, yelling for people to take cover. Vaguely Timothy could hear the pompous voice of Calais Aubrey calling for order which the boy figured was NOT helping. Wincing, Timothy saw Alice jump into the Great Hall, the bludger narrowly missing her and Kyung-Hu. He saw a Ravenclaw classmate Chloe Lee ducking Lily's broomstick on the next bludger pass when she hit it back towards the stairway. Tim and Margie both jumped to the side and he heard someone screaming Professor Lupin's name. The young Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher came into view, flanked by Professors Blith and Flitwick, all of whom looked grave. Professor Flitwick aimed a nonverbal spell which missed the bludger by a hair as it suddenly spiked upwards and then down. A second spell missed and was followed by loud screams.

"Oh Merlin." Margine whispered in horror. The bludger had struck willowy and delicate seventh year Dominique Weasley, one of their housemates, in the torso, knocking her into the damaged wall hard. A brace of her cousins and friends were swarmed around her. This time the teachers - now accompanied by Professor Winchester who had come to the Entrance Hall - all attacked the bludger at once, encasing it in a huge block of thick ice. Professor Lupin then ran down the stairs to Dominique's prone form and gathered her up into his arms while a host of various Potter-Weasley cousins all started babbling questions as to whether the seventh year would be all right.

"All of you go to your House Tables. Now." Everyone flinched. Professor Flitwick's normally jovial voice had turned harsh. "Except for you Miss Potter, Miss Finnigan and Mr. Finnigan. You and your quidditch teammates go up to the headmistress' office immediately." The three Gryffindors dismounted and duly walked up the staircase, Lily tossing a frightened glance at her cousin being carried towards the Hospital Wing. Within the Great Hall, there was stunned silence. The food for dinner appeared as normal, but looking around, no one from any other houses looked like they had much appetite. The seventh-year Hufflepuffs were all clustered together, chattering nervously while Tabitha Abercombie and Seohyun Seong rubbed Selly Baker's back while she dry heaved into a transfigured paper bag. Meanwhile, the Baek siblings and Marcus Fitch-Fletchly comforted the first years. Timothy and Margine sat at their places in stunned silence. They needed to talk, but now wasn't going to be the time. There were too many ears...and too many nerves.


	6. Chapter 5 - September 2021

The last few days had proven stressful - not just for Hufflepuff House worried about one of their own, but for the whole school. Rumours were flying thick and fast; the Slytherins had found out about the Gryffindors' practice and the bludger was a prank of sorts gone wrong. The Gryffindor Quidditch team would not be allowed to reform because of their actions. The Professors, not being able to find out what was wrong with the bludger, were going to scrap the quidditch season altogether. Dominique would have to be moved to St. Mungo's. Dominique's family was threatening action against the school. Thankfully for Timothy and Margine, not one rumour mentioned that the Smith Twins had been very twitchy in their Charms lesson right around the time the incident - or accident? - began. Both had managed to escape being subjects of the rumour mill thus far and given the mysterious voice, they'd heard that no one else did they wanted to keep it that way. It was hard keeping secrets from Alice and Kathleen; the twins had known the Finnigans for ages and Margine and Alice had been fast friends since Margine had sat next to Alice at their Sorting Ceremony four years ago. However, the alternative was potentially losing those friends and being declared crazy - or worse a cause of the incident - and that was a risk the twins were unwilling to take.

The common room had been eerily quiet over the last few days - the seventh year girls often spent their free time checking on Dominique to the point Seohyun had admitted Madame Moss would ban them if they got in her way, especially since there seemed to always be at least one Weasley on watch. (Not counting Dominique's older sister who had been sent to Hogwarts from St. Mungo's as a trainee healer. Terrible timing for Victoire Weasley to come back to the school, though there were rumours that before her sister's injury she was fine with it because of a relationship she had with Professor Lupin.) Under normal circumstances, the common room would be full of friendly chatter - but everyone seemed too nervous about appearing happy with one of their own still in the hospital wing and likely to remain there for a long time. Even homework wasn't proving enough of a distraction - while the house prided itself on work ethic, everyone was too distracted; Timothy himself could barely bring himself to look at his Charms work. Some professors like Flitwick, Winchester and Johnson were sympathetic to those in Hufflepuff or Dominique's family others would expect them to eventually start working again. Such as Malloy and surprisingly - their own Head of House Professor Blith since Transfiguration carried on just as relentlessly on Wednesday after classes were cancelled Monday and Tuesday.

Normally Timothy would have spent the evening reading and he was trying his best to slip back into the world of Sherlock Holmes. However, he'd stared at the same page - the same sentence even - for the last half hour. And then an idea hit him. He'd always had a weakness for puzzles and mysteries as a child. Heck, he'd gotten underfoot trying to fill in missing pieces of information so many times that his presence in the lobby was an accepted hazard for the guests. And wasn't this a big mystery just waiting to be solved and investigated? He did feel somewhat responsible since he had heard that voice. The real trick would be talking Margine into it.

"This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard from you and believe me that's saying something." Even with a whispered voice to avoid attracting attention, Margine sounded fierce.

"Look, we heard the voice and we're too chicken to tell anyone. Well if we look for clues and maybe figure things out, we can go to Blith or even the Headmistress with something more than hearing voices no one else can."

"Yeah, so where do we start looking? Face it Timmy, we have nothing. If this was one of your beloved mystery novels we'd go to the scene of the crime - well there isn't a clear one hear because aside from hurting Dominique, that bludger took chunks out of the walls and ceilings on three floors. And then of course that voice was everywhere, not just in the charms classroom. We have none of your precious leads."

Tim hated when his sister had a point, but he wasn't going to stop. "You forgot the quidditch pitch and the bludger."

Margine scoffed. "Right, like the teachers are going to let us near that thing, even if it's been sent out of the castle for inspection."

"What do you mean sent out?"

"You know that fourth-year who sometimes hangs around with Kyung-Hu? Yufie I think her name is? Well, she's been getting tutoring in Ancient Runes from that assistant teacher who is probably going to wind up replacing Professor Suresh and she asked about the bludger - probably worried like the rest of us. Anyway, he told her they sent it out to be inspected and the school will get brand new bludgers if quidditch is allowed to go forward." She gave him a lopsided grin. "If you hadn't been trying to read the same sentence over and over, you might have heard something Mr. Holmes."

Timothy shrugged off the teasing. "Well, we can still snoop. Take notes, maybe even figure out why we can hear this voice when no one else can." A thought hit him. "You take care of magical creatures. Are there any creatures like a basilisk that speaks in a tongue very few wizards can understand? Maybe we're like Harry Potter only with a different creature."

Margine looked at her twin like he had sprouted a second head. "You're reaching at straws. And you know it. That voice sounded too much like a child and pixies are too scared of bludgers to want to play with them." She let out a sigh. "Knowing you though, your mind is made up - you're going to put on a deerstalker and do this without me so I'll help. Just to keep you out of trouble."

Tim smiled before remembering something else. "I think we should tell Alice and Kathleen we're looking into things -not about the voice, but they hang out with us and if we suddenly cut them off they'll be hurt and it will draw attention. Plus they may think of things or hear things we don't. Especially Kathleen who is in another house."

"Fine," Margine said, blowing out a long breath. "But this could backfire spectacularly."

"Yes, but if it works, Hufflepuff will have new heroes."


	7. Interlude 1 - May 2, 1998

_Spells moved back in forth, dark magic clashing with light. The very castle itself shuddered as an ancient spell called forth stone defenders and the Room of Requirement writhed as the magic that created it tried to deal with the foolishly unleashed Feindfyre. When the dust settled hours later much magical blood had been spilt and spent, artifacts destroyed and a great threat neutralized. However, the cost was great and not just in the lives lost. Unknown to the survivors of the battle, the wards and spells that held together the ancient castle had weakened. The ones that were known would be strengthened and renewed but a complicated and secret layer of wards at the castle's heart were also damaged beyond repair, particularly with the destruction of three keystone artifacts. The effects of this damage was not immediately noticed, nor were they immediate. But nevertheless, a sleeping threat was soon to awake..._


	8. Chapter 6 - October 2021

In the week since the "Bludger Incident" life at the castle gingerly returned to normal. With no notice that quidditch would be officially cancelled, the house teams began simple tryouts - without the bludgers since the new set being ordered was yet to arrive. Despite wanting to have extra time to devote to homework and the "pending investigation" Margine had convinced Timothy that staying retrying out for their spots on the team would give them a good outlet for when things got frustrating and as beaters, if they were caught fiddling with bludgers to determine why one would go rogue, they'd have the excuse of being on the team and wanting to get in some extra practice. Which was a pretty fair point - especially since Kathleen had already reclaimed her spot as a Gryffindor Beater with her partner being a fourth-year called Seung-Il Bom, but referred to by Kathleen as an "arrogant toe rag with a big mouth." (Alice had protested that the boy couldn't be that bad and had been treated to a blow by blow explanation of how her new partner had heckled everyone mercilessly by stating he could play better than any of them - finishing with "He and Samantha are well matched. It's gonna be unbearable when we win again.") That had been the point Timothy and Margine had changed the subject by inviting Kathleen and Alice into the business of investigating the mystery of the bludger incident. Nothing like the promise of adventure to de-rail a Kathleen Finnigan Rant.

The foursome - dubbed by Kathleen as "Neo-Mystery Inc," a reference none of the Hufflepuffs understood - were spending their Saturday in the library with as many quidditch related books - plus "Hogwarts, a Revised History" - as they could get their hands on. Thanks to a privacy spell called muffilito that Kathleen had wheedled out of Lily Potter, they were able to talk while pouring over their books to avoid the wrath of Sora Ren, Calais Aubrey, Kara Turner and Rose Weasley, all of whom were pouring over homework at various tables.

"So Lily said the last time there was a cursed bludger was when her father was chased by one in his second year," Kathleen was saying, making notes on A Guide to Quidditch Equipment in the Modern Era. "Only she said it was enchanted by a House Elf."

"Maybe that's a place to start," Margine commented, twirling her quill through her fingers. "Though I really don't see the elves doing something that would destroy the castle and put them all out of work." Tim nodded his agreement, the unspoken thought being that this being the work of a House didn't account for The Voice - not its diction nor the fact the twins heard it where no one else did.

"We could always go to the kitchens and ask them." Alice pipped up. "Though we'd have to be delicate so we don't insult them."

"We'll have to wait until patrols die down though." Timothy pointed out. "It may be easy to sneak to the kitchens from our dorm, but I heard Seohyun telling off Selly yesterday for sneaking into the kitchens so close to curfew. Apparently that was the third time this week."

"She does have a sweet tooth that one," Margine said with a shake of her head.

"She swore she was getting stuff to bring Dominique. I think it's the only reason Seohyun didn't dock any points - the seventh year girls are all really close. But since we have no obvious connection to Dominique, I doubt that excuse will work, nor will Seohyun be so lenient with us." Tim pointed out. "We'll need to work on other theories until we can be certain there aren't prefects waiting just outside of dorm range. I don't fancy challenging Lily and the Freds for most detentions sat by someone in our year."

The girls laughed in response. "Impossible to beat that record, especially after the way Lily turned that Malfoy boy's hair bright red last year. Made him look like a Weasley and when he tried undoing it, it turned pink. That was awesome. Lily says that detention was worth every second of detention." Kathleen giggled.

"Yeah, well we can't go snooping if we're in detention and I have no desire to be on Molfoy's hit list," Tim said before bending down to scribble a note as Rose Weasley and Kara Turner walked by with armloads of books and that special prefect look of searching for troublemakers. _Don't look at us, just a bunch of fifth years doing homework._ He was already tempting fate by lying about the voice. He didn't want to tempt it further by coming to the attention of two strict prefects.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based of next generation Harry Potter rp I was a co-creator of nearly a decade ago and one of my rp partners encouraged me to write this. This will be a labour of love and is dedicated to the members of What Lies Within to expand on some of the site's lore and tie up loose ends. I miss you guys and hope you're all doing well. Some things to note about pairings of parents and children's names - some may not be compliant with what JK released in interviews and is definitely not compliant with Cursed Child.


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